I really can't see why people get excited at all about shopping, as if it's some sort of pastime. 'Retail therapy', or something, isn't it? I shop when there's something I need, or specifically want (to play with, for example).
I truly feel sorry for youngsters dragged around shopping malls by their parents during bank 'holidays', instead of taking part in proper leisure or cultural activities.
Except that Aldi aren't a 4th rate grocer in most of Europe, they take a significant percentage of the market.
The 'hard discounters' like Aldi, Lidl & Netto have just over 20% of the European grocery market, but less than 4% of the UK market. Snobbery rules OK.
Apart from very good angle grinder stands, they have excellent bratwurst, a nice line in stuffed olives, some very good cheese and some great deals on decent wine & beer.
Price differential could be obtained by eg having smaller batteries in the cheaper one - still works, just a bit more tedious on long jobs. Or a fiddlier adjustment mechanism - still works, but some would find it annoying. Or a shorter life - on something which is intended to only be used a few times, this is a valid trade-off.
"for the money" implies you're accepting whatever minor disadvantages a product may have compared to its more expensive brethren in exchange for a lower price - it doesn't mean it fails in the major category, ie it does work.
In their home market of Germany they do, but in other countries they are not major players.
Faulty market strategy on the part of the companies concerned results in their poor market share.
Hard discounting is not in the long term interest of consumers. For example, zoning restrictions in France initially controlled th growth of large hypermarkets such as Carrefour and Auchan but permitted smaller format stores such as Lidl to establish a presence. The latter has begun to lead to the demise of the specialist retailers of each food type who have traditionally sold the best quality products. I read recently that over half of the French population now eat the main meal of the day sat in front of the TV..
On those I'll pass. Specialist suppliers have better qualiy products.
"works" includes all of these categories. If the thing is tedious to use or the adjustments don't work properly, then it doesn't meet certain purchase criteria.
If I find something that is deficient in one of these categories, it doesn't work, as far as I am concerned. Otherwise, it's like saying that a car without windscreen wipers "works". Well, it's still a car, but it doesn't work in the UK environment because it can't be used for part of the time.
I suppose that one could say that something "works for me", but that doesn't mean that it works for everybody.
I don't think it's snobbery, it's more a matter of deliberate market positioning. Aldi/Lidl in Germany are seen very much as we would view the likes of Tesco and Sainsbury's. My German friends are somewhat bemused when I tell them that Aldi/Lidl are viewed as cheap and nasty stores in this country.
I do have a look around the local Aldi and Lidl from time to time, but my over-riding impression is that they are no cheaper than anywhere else. What really irritates me, though is the tills - you can't pack your goods at the till, you're expected to take them to the tables near the exit. They also collect empty boxes and hide them very quickly so you can't use them as an alternative to the plastic carrier bags, which are charged for at 9p a time.
Let's not mention Netto. On my one and only trip to a Netto store I was do overwhelmed by the sheer awfulness of the experience that I abandoned the trolley, including the £1 coin I had used to release it, and haven't been back since.
Given B&Q's pricing policy on low value items, I'm not surprised. And you'd have to look for them in the digestive biscuit bin - only to find half the packet had been eaten.
Well, I'd suggest you get straight down to Lidl and buy the angle grinder stand in question - then do a full test of it and telling us just why it isn't any good as you seem so sure about. I'll happily pay for it - if only to shut you up. ;-)
Not at any of the Lidl I've visited. But I quite approve of the idea - waiting in a queue while someone in front faffs about packing is plain stupid. At Lidl I put everything straight back in the trolley and pack at the car.
You don't have any bags at home you can take with you?
Given the time I had to wait at the Croydon branch of Screwfix last time I'd rather they spent the money on improving the service. Perhaps online ordering for immediate collection at the store - or user terminals as in Argos.
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